


Drunk On Our Own Stupidity

by BugEvans



Category: Pitch (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Post 1x09, Therapy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 00:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8868715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BugEvans/pseuds/BugEvans
Summary: The relationship between Mike and Ginny becomes somewhat more complicated after they give into their unvoiced feelings in a way even they are not sure how to deal with. 
AU/Canon Divergent





	1. "Take Your Time, Ginny"

“I was surprised you called.”

Ginny winced in response. She doubted anybody was more surprised than herself. She hesitantly sat in the large leather sofa, her fight or flight response slowly kicking in. Part of her felt like this was just one big mistake she’ll regret later much like the rest of the big mistakes that paved the way to this moment – although, she did not regret _all_ of them. Unsure of how to proceed, she looked around the room, taking in as much details as she could. She doubted she would be back here any time soon. Her gaze fixed on the large bookshelf, the dark shiny wood gave the space an air of opulence, a distinct contrast to the room they were in the first time.

The clink of porcelain on the glass table startled her. Her nerves were fraying, her anxiety was getting the best of her. She barely recalled how she sounded on the phone. God, she hoped she hadn’t made a fool of herself. The steam of the cup placed in front of her carried the aroma of tea and honey and despite the fact she wasn’t really a tea drinker the gesture filled her heart with gratitude as though somehow this would help ease the tension tightening her core.

Ginny nodded her thanks before wrapping her hands around the warm cup.

“I have to admit, I didn’t think you would go beyond your mandated session,” Dr. Barton paused to consider her. Ginny maintained her gaze out of habit of being defiant. “But, I am glad you took this step. It shows growth.”

_Right_ , Ginny snorted at the thought. Growth. Or maybe it showed how foolish she was and how much she did not learn from past mistakes. She shifted on the couch half attempting to reposition herself, half trying to make a break for it. She took a sip of the tea, definitely unimpressed by the taste of it. Dr. Barton was still regarding her in that way only therapist did, the one that made you feel judged yet oddly willing to spill everything you consciously and unconsciously know about yourself. Ginny hated that look.

“You don’t think it shows a sign of growth?” She inquired.

“Aren’t you supposed to take notes or something?” Ginny deflected.

“Do you want me to take notes?” Dr. Barton shot back.

“Why do therapist always answer a question with a question?” Ginny pondered more to herself than anything.

“Why do you think?” Dr. Barton smiled at Ginny’s frown. “I can’t give away all my secrets, Ginny. However, I can ask why you decided to come.”

Ginny worried her lower lip. She was hoping they wouldn’t dive into the heart of the matter right away, which she now realized was stupid. Of course she would ask why she came. Her instinct was screaming at her to deflect with a witty quip, something to throw off the doctor/patient dynamic before it cemented. But she’d made the choice to be here, shouldn’t she be more open to the idea of talking about it? She definitely should. So why was this so difficult?

 

Ginny exhaled, “The last few weeks have been...” – Ginny fidgeted not sure how to end this statement, before she settled for the easy yet underwhelming – “...hard.”

A lot had happened. Her brother came back which in theory would be a fantastic thing. Finally, she would have family – bound by blood and not forged out of displacement and feelings of loneliness – here with her. But it quickly turned out not so great. First she realized he was here for her money and her image, then she learned Amelia wrote him a check to settle his debts, now his restaurant venture had Evelyn as a partner and things were quickly souring between her and Blip. Needless to say, Ginny felt responsible for all of it.

Dr. Barton took time to explain she was not responsible for other people’s actions and that Evelyn’s decision to get involved in this was her own and had nothing to do with her. Ginny, was willing to entertain the idea but the thought stayed in the back of her mind.

They covered a lot of the things that happened, some big, some small but all contributing to Ginny’s mental exhaustion. And, halfway through the session, Ginny had lulled herself into a false sense of contentment. Therapy worked, she felt much better and was tapped out of issues to discuss. Or, more accurately, she was avoiding the big issue she initially came here to talk about because the resolution of the small ones made it easier for her to deal with what happened.

 

The thing about therapy is, it make you vulnerable. The more you talk the more open you become and the more you expose yourself to harsh truths (also known as breakthroughs). These harsh truths(or breakthroughs) helped gain a better understanding of one’s self, of one’s feelings. The process took time but it worked the same for everyone, including Ginny Baker. And she should have known that. But of course, Ginny suspected nothing of what was to come. Not when her cold tea was replaced by a refreshing can of grape soda, not when therapy talk turned into small talk and definitely not when said small talk turned into baseball talk. Ginny was engrossed in recounting her last match, her dimples on full display an effect of the wide grin spread on her face. She hadn’t realized how animated she’d become and she could have never known how bright her eyes shone talking about the sport she dedicated her life to. Dr. Barton saw, and she pointed it out to her, happy that their last (and first) discussion helped reconcile her to her love for the sport.

With a good ten minutes left on the clock, Dr. Barton asked the question she felt needed to be asked. She was great at her job, she knew when patients deflected with smaller issues and Ginny had been doing just that. So, as Ginny finished telling her about Blip and Mike mercilessly teasing her after one match, Dr. Barton took the opportunity offered to her to strike.

 

And, honestly, Ginny should have known.

 

“You and Mike Lawson seem close. Yet, you seem hurt when you mention him. How did his almost trade affect you, Ginny?”

Ginny stilled. She could feel the panic rise in her. She could feel her heart beating almost everywhere in her body trying to escape. She could empathize with that, she desperately wanted to run too.

“Take your time, Ginny.” Dr. Barton, soothed her and all Ginny could think was, _where was this advice a few hours ago?_

She stood on unsteady knees to dig in the pocket of jeans too tight to be deemed comfortable. She knew what she was about to do would require more than the last ten minutes of a one hour session. It probably required more than an hour session. For all she knew, she would even be committed and she wouldn’t fault the poor doctor, she most certainly deserved it. Because who in their right mind did what she did?

 

She sat down her palm tight, the small object she was holding digging in her skin. Her eyes were brimming with tears but she wasn’t sure which overwhelming emotion was the cause. Dr. Barton slid a box of tissue to Ginny.

“Nothing I say here will be repeated, right?”

 

“Unless you’re admitting to a past or future crime, absolutely nothing you say will come out of this room.” Dr. Barton reassured her. Ginny nodded satisfied with the answer.

 

Shaking her nerves out she took a deep breath before opening her palm flat to reveal a wedding band. 


	2. A Completely Different Shit Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for all the comments and kudos! I'm trying to get back to everyone who left a comment. I hope you like this chapter as much as the first one.
> 
> Also, a special thanks to carolinagirl919 for the beta work!

No one should have money and access to planes when desperate and obviously not in their right mind. If Mike Lawson was President, or a member of Congress or however the way politics worked, he would make that a law. Because people do truly stupid things when they know they have the means to do them. Those who don’t just say something stupid like “Let’s get married” and the other person laughs at the absurdity of it all, knowing for certain that their breathless “Okay” will lead them nowhere. Or at least that’s what he assumes other people do.

  
In his defense, not that there is anything to defend here, he didn’t think they would go through with it. He fully expected one of them to regain their senses somewhere between the airport and Vegas. But neither of them did until the flight back. When they touched down on San Diego soil, the gravity of what they’d done had set in. They’d actually gotten married‒in Vegas of all places‒and he wasn’t leaving for Chicago after all.  
God, why did he always have to pull everyone he loved in his garbage?

* * *

By chance, Dr. Barton did not have another session after Ginny. She wasn’t even supposed to be in today, but felt she wouldn’t hear from Ginny again if she didn’t see her as soon as possible. She was prepared for anything, an injury, another PR fiasco, a breakdown in the locker room, a panic attack before a game…

Anything but _that_.

  
“Tell me, what led to this,” she gestured at the ring now placed on the table, “decision.” Ginny refused to call it a wedding.

_When Ginny had received Mike’s text during her date with Noah, had taken a lot of effort to hide her excitement. For a brief moment, during the slightly awkward silence that had settled, she felt as though the beating of her heart was deafening not just to her ears but to everyone within earshot. She tried to go through with the date, but while her body was physically there, her mind had already checked out. She’d felt bad for ditching Noah, but Mike wanted to see her and her gut told her that he was leaving for Chicago sooner than expected._

_When she arrived at the bar, she was glad to see some patrons there. She was painfully aware that being Ginny Baker™ had become a job of its own. For her, walking in public meant stopping for pictures and autographs, or at times, outrunning the paparazzi. But as much as she had been touched by Noah’s gesture, she was still a person like any other and being surrounded by people in public places wasn’t so bad. In fact, it made her feel normal._  
_When she sat down next to him, she had almost thanked him for not renting out the place just for them. She’d thought better of it as that would have required explaining, which in turn would have required admitting she lied to him about her whereabouts. That would have opened a door to possibilities she was not ready to explore yet. Of course, Mike had a way of turning her world upside down with little to no effort. So when he told her he was leaving to play for the Cubs, and his flight departed the next day, the thought of Mike no longer being her teammate made her more willing to consider those possibilities. The conversation eventually eased back to their easy banter, and the relationship they’d built in the past three months began to take on a new shape._

_She felt her heart expand in her chest when Mike's hand nestled on her lower back to guide her out of the bar. For the second time that night, she wondered if people around could hear the pounding of her heart. A nagging voice reminded her that he was still a ballplayer and she didn’t date them. Yes, that was her rule, but rules were made to be broken weren’t they? She figured it didn’t count if it was long distance. Besides, it was all harmless daydreaming coming from her teen self still hung up on the Mike Lawson she’d put on a pedestal. The grown woman she’d become didn’t have him on a pedestal because she knew he was nothing like the man teenaged Ginny dreamed he would be. Which was more than fine; he was better, he was human, and she loved him that way._

_She loved him._

_She_ loved _him and he was leaving. That was a pattern, right? People she loved leaving her? Rationally, she knew she was not the cause of it, but it didn’t stop her from thinking it. And as he kissed her on the sidewalk, (for everyone to see) and as she kissed him back (not caring who did) she felt her heart sinking heavily in her chest. She wanted this. She’d denied this to herself to preserve her career, to keep people from talking, out of fear he would leave her. But he is leaving, and her career is still here despite the Trevor Davis incident and God, her very existence has people talking. So why couldn’t she have this?_ Because this is a completely different shit storm _. There was that nagging voice again._

  
_“I wish there was a way for you to not leave me.” Ginny says the words before they register into her brain, but she knows she means them._

  
_Maybe they were drunk off that one beer, maybe they were high on something they knew they felt but weren’t ready to voice yet. Or maybe they had completely lost it, and all those years of training and getting hit in the head by baseballs had finally caught up to them in that one moment. That could only explain what happened next._  
_When Mike joked that they “could still get married”, Ginny laughed at the absurdity of it all. Because, truly, what kind of marriage would that be? She was his rookie, he was her – soon to be ex – captain leaving for Chicago in a few hours, and they’d known each other for the better part of three months. But he was leaving and damn it if her insecurities and fears weren’t getting the best of her right now. Oh, she would blame that on them later if she must but as she’s done laughing and he’s looking at her so fondly, this goofy grin on his face, holding her tight to him, she actually thinks about it._

_“Okay.” She breathes._

_“Okay?” He wasn’t as much confused as he was surprised._

_In Ginny’s defense, not that there was much to defend here, his surprise quickly turned to elation and the next moment they were looking at departing flights on their phones and booking tickets on their way to the airport. She knew how crazy all this was, but she somehow figured that they wouldn’t go through with it. She knew that at some point Mike, being the old man that he was, would be the rational one._

_That didn’t happen._

_Ginny wasn’t known for thoroughly thinking of consequences before acting. So they got married in a cliché chapel without the excuse of alcohol to make sense of their mess later._

  
_Everything was great, idyllic even. They were in love, (or at least she knew she was) and drunk on their own stupidity. What could possibly go wrong, really? They were in their own bubble, oblivious to the looming threat of reality._

 

“But Mike’s trade fell through?” Dr. Barton asked knowing the answer.

“Yeah. But we had no idea until we came back.” Ginny got up to pace. She truly didn’t regret what they’d done but she didn’t know how to deal with it either and that, she felt, was probably worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also on [ tumblr ](http://aclichewriter.tumblr.com) come fangirl with me or send me prompts


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